Pippa Parker was created by Liz Hedgecock
Greetings, my dear readers! It's been a while, I know. Last Christmas was crazy! I had to take a break after solving the murder of the girl with the missing toe (all about that here) and put my blog aside.
But now we are back, and better than ever! Apart from the usual interviews, we'll also have weekly posts from Matt talking about his craft. But now, let's have a chat with the lovely Pippa Parker, one of my favorite amateur detectives of all time.
It's great having you here, Pippa. Tell us: what’s your major
strength while investigating a murder?
Multitasking. I have to fit my investigations around the school run,
nursery, making lunch for the kids, and doing my actual job. What is my actual
job again?
Did you choose to
become a detective? Or didn’t you have a choice?
Becoming a detective was the last thing on my mind. As far as I was
concerned I was just trying to fit into the weird village that I’d moved to
against my will, and make some friends. It was only when the woman who runs our
local playgroup got bashed on the back of the head that I had no choice but to
get involved!
It happens more than you think. And what’s your daytime
occupation? How does it relate to your investigations?
By day I run events and manage bookings for Lady Higginbotham, owner of
Higginbotham Hall, and Serendipity Jones, crafter extraordinaire. I also act as
a brake on some of Lady H's wilder ideas. I combine this with being a director
of operations, head cook and bottle washer, expert negotiator, activities coordinator
and chauffeur. In other words, I’m a mum.
What do you like
least about investigating a case?
Generally I back away from a case until I get dragged into it. Then I
complain about it to anyone who will listen (unless I’m undercover), and
eventually I get so pulled into the case that I forget to do things like sleep.
And what do you know
about investigating? How did you acquire that knowledge?
I’ve probably learnt all that I know about investigating from reading
Agatha Christie books. I’m a complete amateur, and I think that means that I
pick up on the little things that intrigue me, which the police might miss.
I’ve definitely got the nosiness and curiosity to make a good detective. Even
if it gets me into trouble the rest of the time.
Who do you see yourself closest to:
Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple or Sam Spade?
I’d like to think
that I am an intuitive genius and master of disguise like Sherlock Holmes. I'd
certainly like to have a housekeeper to look after me, and a faithful companion
to write all my adventures. However, I’m probably more like Miss Marple, poking
my nose in where it often isn’t wanted, and relating things to my everyday
life. I’m not sure I’d want to wear as much wool as she does though. Itchy.
How do you deal with the authorities
while doing your investigation?
If I can work with
them, I do. Otherwise I pretend they’re not there and ignore them. I generally
find that it’s easier to beg forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.
Although again, sometimes that gets me into hot water. Can you see a pattern
emerging here?
Tell me one thing about yourself you
wouldn't want others to know.
I can actually cook
quite well, but mostly I can't be bothered.
Books in the Pippa Parker Mysteries series:
Murder at the Playgroup
Murder in the Choir
A Fete Worse Than Death
Murder in the Meadow
The QWERTY Murders (just released!)
________________________________________________________________
Liz Hedgecock grew up in London, England, did an
English degree, and then took forever to start writing. After several years
working in the National Health Service, some short stories crept into the
world. A few even won prizes. Then the stories started to grow longer...
Now Liz travels between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, murdering people. To be fair, she does usually clean up after herself.
Liz’s reimaginings of Sherlock Holmes, her Pippa Parker cozy mystery series, and the Caster & Fleet Victorian mystery series (with Paula Harmon) are available in ebook and paperback.
Liz lives in Cheshire with her husband and two sons, and when she’s not writing or child-wrangling you can usually find her reading, messing about on Twitter, or cooing over stuff in museums and art galleries. That's her story, anyway, and she's sticking to it.
Now Liz travels between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, murdering people. To be fair, she does usually clean up after herself.
Liz’s reimaginings of Sherlock Holmes, her Pippa Parker cozy mystery series, and the Caster & Fleet Victorian mystery series (with Paula Harmon) are available in ebook and paperback.
Liz lives in Cheshire with her husband and two sons, and when she’s not writing or child-wrangling you can usually find her reading, messing about on Twitter, or cooing over stuff in museums and art galleries. That's her story, anyway, and she's sticking to it.
Website: http://lizhedgecock.wordpress.com
Amazon book page: http://Author.to/LizH
Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/lizhedgecockwrites
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lizhedgecock
